Seoul: The head of the national human rights watchdog on Monday expressed concerns over the country's "excessive" early education fervor for young children, highlighting that it is depriving them of their childhood. Private preschool programs, particularly those focusing on English, have recently faced increasing scrutiny due to their rigorous classes aimed at preparing young children for competitive academic admissions.

According to Philippines News Agency, Ahn Chang-ho, chair of the National Human Rights Commission, stated, "The expansion of extreme early education is a serious children's rights problem," in a statement released a day before Children's Day. He emphasized that such intensive early education deprives children of time to play, rest, and express themselves, while also undermining their healthy growth and development.

Ahn referenced a recent United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) report that placed South Korea fourth in children's skills but 34th in mental health and 28th in physical health among 43 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Union. "While our children could be leading in terms of competition, this shows that they are not sufficiently protected in terms of life stability and safety," Ahn remarked.

In response to these concerns, the education ministry announced plans last month to better protect the developmental rights of young children. The measures include banning rote-based learning for children under three years of age, among other strategies to curb excessive preschool education.